Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

No. 4 Alex Ramirez, CF

B/T: R/R     Age: 1/13/03 (20)
Ht: 6’3”     Wt: 170 lb.
Acquired: Signed in 2019’s International Free Agency Period from the Dominican Republic
ETA: 2025     Previous Rank: 7
Stats (DSL): .281/.346/.436, 30 2B, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 21 SB, 16 CS

The Mets have done incredibly well in the international free-agent market during the last decade. The club parlayed IFA signees Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez into 14 years of Francisco Lindor. Backstop Francisco Álvarez is considered the Mets’ backstop of the future. Alex Ramirez, a 6-foot-3, 170 lb. center-fielder from the Dominican Republic, is the latest IFA signee to make waves in the Mets’ farm system.

During 2019’s International Free Agency Period, the Mets inked Ramirez, then the 26th-ranked player in the class by MLB Pipeline, to a $2.4 million deal. In signing him, the Mets praised his “advanced hitting skills and above-average defense”

After a first professional season in which he slashed .258/.326/.384, Keith Law named him to his Top-100 prospect list, noting that his plus speed, power, and defense combination could allow Ramirez to continue to develop into a starting-caliber MLB center-fielder. Despite a slightly below-average offensive slash-line (96 wRC+), Cyclones’ broadcaster Keith Raad was impressed with the young player, saying “ Alex Ramirez is extremely talented and already plays with a tremendous about of confidence — which you need in this game.”

Entering 2022, Ramirez was expected to stay with the FSL’s St.Lucie Mets, but his performance was so impressive that he quickly joined the Brooklyn Cyclones by mid-season.

In 67 games with the St.Lucie Mets, he posted a .284/.359/.443 triple-slash, which was good for 29% better than the average player. Ramirez’s .372 wOBA was 16th in the FSL (min 200 at-bats), but it’s noteworthy that he slashed his strikeout percentage by nine percentage points while increasing his walk rate to 9%.

After a July 4th promotion to Brooklyn, Ramirez joined the club in time for their playoff push. His .278/.329/.427 line was six percent better than the average hitter in the New York Penn League.

His performance was enough to elicit comparisons to Jasson Dominguez, the Yankees’ much-hyped center-fielder, but it’s worth noting that The Athletic’s Keith Law’s recent Top-100 prospect list ranked Ramirez 68th and Dominguez 32nd. Law notes that Ramirez’s frame and strong exit velocities give him the ability to tap into more power. His offensive line crept to above league average last season, but still, there’s plenty of work to be done on the offensive side.

After his breakout year, Ramirez was dubbed as one of the top teenagers in the Minors, earning top-100 prospect acclaim from multiple evaluators. As Law notes however, his pitch recognition could use some work. His strikeout rate in 2022 stood at 22.1%, still an improvement over his  31.3% mark from 2021. That being said, he’s currently the age of a college junior. Age is on his side.

The Mets recently extended Ramirez an invite to Major League camp this spring. He won’t break camp with the team, but the invitation gives Mets brass additional time to complete further evaluation of him. The Mets haven’t developed an MLB starting-caliber outfielder since Brandon Nimmo, but Ramirez is on the path to changing that.